What is a CPU and what does CPU stand for?

What is a CPU?

A clear definition of CPU.

The CPU is the microprocessor chip at the heart of your computer.
The CPU is considered to be the brain of a computer. It is involved in all the important processing of data,
interpreting the instructions from software and hardware and controlling every device contained within your computer.
Without this important component your computer would not know what to do and your home computer would be nothing more than an expensive paper weight.

What does CPU stand for?

CPU is another acronym you will come across regularly online and in the computing world. CPU stands for Central Processing Unit and gets its name from the fact that it is the microprocessing chip at the very heart of your computer.

What is a CPU used for?

Just what is a CPU used for? - The processing of data.

A Central Processing Unit will perform millions of individual calculations every second at phenomenal speeds.

A modern home computer has more processing power than all of NASA during the 1960s space race.

Everything your personal computer does is managed by the CPU which is located on the motherboard.
Every key stroke and command is interpreted by the CPU as a calculation and the appropriate command is sent to the device needed to perform the required task.

How does a CPU work?

When you press a key on your keyboard the CPU receives the input and will interpret the key stroke,
sending a command to the monitor through your video card to display it.

If you click the mouse on an icon to open a piece of software the CPU interprets that command and opens the application.
It sends the software from the hard drive to the ram, where the CPU can receive instructions from the software at extremely fast speeds,
then performs the tasks that are required to run the software.

The CPU will instruct the rest of the hardware components inside your computer to do exactly what the software was written to do.
The central processing unit really is the brain power behind your computer!

What is a dual core CPU?

What is a dual core CPU? - This is a central processing unit that contains two execution cores on the same processor.
Simply put you are getting two central processing units on the same chip giving you twice the processing power.

Having a dual core CPU will allow you to run multiple pieces of software simultaneously without losing the performance and speed that you would when running the same pieces of software on a single core CPU.

If a dual core processing unit is not enough a quad core CPU is also available.
This is essentially four central processing units in one and gives you a lightning fast computer.

What is a CPU meter?

What is a CPU meter? - A CPU meter is a small piece of software that allows you to view the CPU usage as a percentage ratio.
A computer sitting at rest would use approximately 5% of the CPUs processing power whereas a computer running a complex piece of software could be using as much as 90%.

Some operating systems or computer companies will include a CPU meter as one of their built in gadgets.
A CPU meter can be very useful if you are experiencing a slow computer as it can help detect exactly what the CPU is doing when running different applications.

What is a CPU fan?

What is a CPU fan used for? - The CPU inside your computer generates a lot of heat, just sit a laptop on your knees for awhile and you can feel how hot it gets for yourself!

Your CPU, just like the engine in your automobile, needs to be kept cool!

If your CPU overheats it can fail just like an automobile engine with no water in the cooling system.
So that whirring sound you hear, at times starting and stopping, is your CPU fan doing its job. If you look closely at any computer you will see an air inlet where the CPU fan draws in cool air,
this should never be obstructed or you risk overheating your CPU causing it to fail.

What is a CPU socket?

What is a CPU socket used for? - The CPU inside your computer needs to be attached to the motherboard.

The purpose of the CPU socket is to house the central processor unit and provide an electrical connection to the motherboard.

CPU sockets come in various pin configurations depending on the architecture of your system. These configurations are known as (PGA) Pin Grid Array.

The pin grid array will vary between the companies that produce micro processor chips and will also vary between different generations of central processing units from the same manufacturer.

If you are ever upgrading your CPU or have had a CPU failure you will first need to know exactly what type of (PGA) the CPU socket on your motherboard has.

The history of CPU processors

The history of the CPU begins long before the silicon chip revolution of the 1970s, when the first microprocessor was invented.

In the 1940s and 1950s central processing units were enormous machines, 50 ft long and 8 ft high, with hundreds of miles of wiring and thousands of vacuum tubes run by teams of scientists in white coats.

The processing power of all the computers in the entire world during the 1940s could now be contained inside a single microprocessing chip smaller than the nail on your little finger!

During the 1950s and 60s transistor technology revolutionized the computing world and brought about the first real opportunity to reduce the size and complexity of the earlier machines. Now, thousands of transistors could be wired to a single panel increasing the processing power and reducing the size to that of a large cabinet. Transistors revolutionized the electronics world as they were cheap, mass produced and very reliable.

Early in the 1970s a revolution began to take place.

The first single chip microprocessor was invented by Intel.
Because of this new technology extremely complex circuitry could be even further reduced in size.
Called the Intel 4004, the single chip microprocessor was a giant leap forward in the computing world as it reduced the printed circuit boards and transistor based technology from cabinet sized processors to that of a coin.

From its small beginnings with the 4 bit 4004 chip Intel has become one the worlds largest producers of microprocessor chips. Since its conception nearly 40 years ago the technology has advanced at a stunning rate with the processing power of a CPU doubling in size every 18 months.

What is a CPU? The microprocessor chip that is the brains of your computer.

What does CPU stand for? Central Processing Unit.

I hope we have helped you understand exactly "what is a CPU" and what CPU stands for. Now when you meet this guy and he asks you what type of CPU you have in your computer you will understand what he is talking about.